


I might be there

by AsarStar



Series: Crossing the Street [2]
Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Iron Man (Movies)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-28
Updated: 2015-01-31
Packaged: 2018-02-06 12:36:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 1,933
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1858317
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AsarStar/pseuds/AsarStar
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Small short bits from the "If You Cross the Street..." universe, all taking place during the same story, but not quite fitting the flow of the story, so maybe consider these web exclusives to the main production type things.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. You Knew?

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: So this gives me a chance to explain the main story title, which is "If You Cross the Street...". It's pulled from Lykke Li's Breaking it up, where the lyric is "If you're going abroad, I can't help you. If you're crossing the street, I might be there." I tend to do my working story titles from whatever song is really leading on inspiration, and that one really kind of set up several different ways this story could go, so it's in all the playlists I've pulled together (there is a soundtrack for the main story, if anyone ever wants it). Originally, it was about the Iron Man team being there for Buffy when she was going through hard times. Now with the re-envisioning I've been doing, it's come to be about them all being there for one another, so I kept it as the actual title. "I might be there" for this one, refers to little moments of them being there for each other that might not quite fit into the story proper.
> 
> Posting this as a teaser for Chapter 4, it's a missing scene from earlier in the same day that Chapter 4 opens into. :-)

Pre-Chapter 4:

"You were surprisingly not surprised when I mentioned seeing a vampire," Tony mentioned as she walked out onto the deck. He was fiddling with the grill he'd taken apart and rebuilt in the weeks previous, and she knew he was doing that annoying thing where he pretended what he was doing was more important than what he was saying.

"My family owns restaurants in the city, remember?" She moved to join him by the grill, glancing back inside to where Happy was prepping meats for the grill, while Anne put her exceptional knife skills to use on the veggies. They were distracted, just as she'd left them.

"Yeah, I know that." He didn't face her as he kept fiddling, but she could see him rolling his eyes.

"After homeless people and runaways, service workers are the next likely targets," she told him, skipping over the fine detail that her family being part demon themselves allowed for greater understanding and some level of protection than most service workers.

"Really?" He paused in his work, finally looking up at her. "So why didn't you tell me. Vampires, I mean come on, how cool is that?"

"That's why," she answered seriously, pursing her lips. "Can you honestly tell me you aren't itching to run out there and grab one to study?"

"I mean, wouldn't you? They're supposed to be dead people, and they turn into dust when you kill them," he sounded like an excited child.

"You're just proving my point." She crossed her arms and waited, hopefully he'd start thinking rationally about it. 

"I bet Annie could grab one without any problems," he grinned, working through a possible plan.

"Don't you dare ask her to do that," she snapped, obviously it would take a while for him to find his brain. "That's incredibly dangerous. I can't go on my trip if you won't promise to let this idea go."

"What idea?" Anne asked, stepping out through the French doors, carrying several large plates of food prepped for the grill.

"He wants to study vampires, see what makes them tick," she explained immediately, knowing Anne would be on her side.

"No," came the instant response, as she put the plates down on the prep table.

"Oh come on, it could be really interesting. We could find cures to diseases," he offered up, at least trying not to look so incredibly excited about the prospect.

"Not from vampires," Anne replied sharply, crossing her own arms and glaring. "It's not ok to lock someone in a lab and study it just because you feel like it. If that's what you're planning, I can't stick around."

This managed to actually quiet Tony, and she couldn't help but think about the personal nature that something like this would ping for Anne. She, herself, had been very careful to keep Tony from finding out about the ano-movic part of her. While she trusted him not to lock her up in a lab, or even Anne, she didn't quite trust him not to try and find some other demon somewhere else. 

"Someone? We're talking about vampires," he pointed out, trying to find a loophole.

"They still have their human memories and are still capable of rational decision making. They're just evil that's the only difference," she explained, before turning and stomping back to help Happy at the kitchen island.

"Wow, she's really intense about that," he commented, turning his attention back to the grill finally.

"I agree with her," Pepper told him quietly, hoping he was getting the point.

"Fine, I won't study vampires, promise," and from the disappointment in his voice, combined with pout on his face, she actually believed him.


	2. Pepper's Goodbye

Pre-Chapter 5:

_LAX_

"Hey, Tony, keep an eye out for her," Pepper requested, after Buffy had gotten back in the car. 

"This is your goodbye speech at the airport," he grinned. "Of course I'll look out for her, but I'm pretty sure that's her job for me."

"And she'll do a good job, but she's a kid. She's got a good head on her shoulders, but she's a bit lost," Pepper answered.

"Yeah, yeah, will do. Have a good trip, Pepper," he waved her off, heading back to the car without another thought.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks to the Buffy Wikia for the Angel quote, Pulling up an episode in the middle of my work day to check that quote wasn't my best option

During Chapter 5:

The vamps were treating the club like an all-out buffet. Buffy had managed to snag two already, and there was a pair that she was sure she could grab together. She watched as Tony fidgeted in his seat, his attention not quite held by the number of gorgeous women that had latched onto him as soon as he'd arrived in the VIP section. A popular club, she couldn't help but notice that they were surrounded by the rich and famous in the exclusive upstairs balcony, but down on the floor wasn't quite as exclusive. From what Tony had said, this was one of the clubs people considered 'slumming it', but in a fun dangerous way. Overdoses and random deaths weren't entirely out of the norm here. She found the experience pretty stupid to be honest, but at least she was left alone once they found out she was just the PA. 

The last two vampires she'd noticed stood up from the downstairs bar and headed onto the dance floor. Obviously hunting together, a male and female, they started dancing together. She caught Tony's eye and nodded once before making her own way down to the floor, sliding through the crowd with ease. 

Insinuating herself was easy. As much as she hated it, the slayer had the perfect cover in its hosts, young and female. She made sure to appear drunk, but not messy. She'd only had the smallest of sips of the champagne Tony ordered, but holding the glass has created good cover in the group that had gathered in their section.

It was the female that instigated moving them off the floor and towards the back exit. There was something almost choreographed about their movements, and she couldn't help but wonder just how many they'd caught this way.

The outside air felt cool and crisp, and though she'd been outside earlier, each breath gave her a refreshed sense of clarity. The sharpened piece of wood she'd snagged earlier in the evening slid into her hand with ease from the sleeve of her light jacket. They were on either side of her, and she threw herself into the woman, who was already showing her true face. Her makeshift stake found its home in the female's chest and vanished to dust along with the first of her prey.

"Nice trick," the male growled, "but now you're unarmed."

He was grinning, or smirking, but obviously he was pleased and all she saw was red. She felt his head between her hands as she threw herself forwards once more. The turn to the side was instinctual, and immediately the dust surrounded her, settling on her clothes and in her hair.

 _"Now that's everything, huh? No weapons...no friends...no hope. Take all that away and what's left?"_ Angelus' voice rang out in her head, and she leaned against the brick wall to catch her breath, which grew more and more difficult with each passing moment.

The only time she ever remembered feeling this intense sort of panic feeling was the previous year, when she'd come to LA to stay with her dad. Nightmares of the Master killing her would wake her up unable to catch her breath. Though she'd overcome that particular set of issues, it seemed that nightmares and memories of Angelus had jumped in quickly to fill the void.

She hadn't registered Tony coming outside, but him pulling her into a hug and asking her if she was ok made it impossible not to realize he'd ignored her instructions. The worst thing was that had she not calmed down since the fight, she might have instinctively attacked him, and immediately she lashed out verbally instead.


	4. Not Really Hell

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: this is just a quick little thank you for everyone being so patient on the main story.

Pre-Chapter 6:

Four vamps, between two clubs, made for a very successful night in Buffy's mind, but it certainly didn't help that her adrenaline levels were crazy and she was starving. 

"Come on, I'm starving," Tony said, leading her through the alley, rather than back inside, they hadn't left anything behind.

"Where to, boss?" she asked, as he dragged them past the lot where the rich kids parked their cars when clubbing in the area. "You know there's a full fridge at the house, right?"

"Nah, I'm in the mood for a burger," he was grinning, and she couldn't help but be mildly afraid of what was happening.

"Really? Here?" she rolled her eyes, as they approached Helen's Kitchen.

"Anne," Kate at the register smiled politely as they walked in.

The owner came out from the back, he always started his day at the same time the club kids were coming through. They were his best customers. Mitch was a large jovial man, the grandson of the original Helen. He kept a careful eye on the floor, and apparently knew Tony quite well, if the shoulder slapping hug was anything to judge by.

"Hi," she smiled uneasily, not sure quite how to handle the moment. Working there hadn't been the best thing, but Mitch had been the only one to take a chance on her when she first got to LA.

"Anne," he grinned. "Thanks for sending the uniform back. Don't let this guy push you around too much."

Tony mocked offence, and they were led to one of the quiet booths.


	5. For the Cause

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Just a quick gift to thank everyone who stuck around for the main story and a note that I haven't forgotten you. I'm working through the next part, but this one's taking a bit longer to plot out and work through.
> 
> Post Chapter 8:

"You're dropping your shoulder," Buffy called out, just before Tony took his next swing at the pads Happy was holding up.

He landed the punch, but was off, obviously surprised at her arrival. She had carefully avoided the gym when he and Happy were training, but now that Happy definitely knew her secret, she could afford to show up and see exactly what the two guys were capable of. 

"Do it again," she instructed, ignoring the glare he sent her way.

He did and there it was, the dropped shoulder, a fault she'd faced in her own training, but she could also clearly see the gap left open for attack. 

"You did it again," Happy pointed out this time. Then turned to her, feigning a look of exasperation, I've been trying to get him to stop that for months, but it's not taking."

"Hey," came Tony's sharp response, but they ignored him.

"You were a boxer right?" she asked, circling Tony, as he stepped back from Happy, glaring at the two of them. At Happy's agreement, she continued, "Any martial arts?"

"A dabble here and there, but nothing much," he answered.

"Tony, throw the same punch at me," she instructed, moving in front of him, staying in a relaxed position.

"You're not - you're," he trailed off, looking not to pleased with the idea, but obviously having issues explaining why.

"I'm a girl or I'm super strong?" she asked, holding back the urge to laugh, as she slid her feet apart into a proper strong stance. "Come on, throw the punch. I can take it."

He moved through the motions of a right hook, but long before he made contact, she dropped and swept his feet out from under him. Her usual method of grabbing the wrist and flipping wouldn't have worked with the boxing glove on, but she still needed to make him see just how open his move was.

"Ow, that hurt," he complained, rolling to his side and getting back to his feet quickly enough.

"You need to learn how to fall," she grinned.


End file.
